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a solution. You don't want to hide the problem, of course, if delay will only compound the problem. But rather than focusing on how a mistake, problem, or disappointment occurred, focus your conversation on resolving, improving, or altering the outcome. |
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Tip 59: Define things in terms of cooperation rather than competition. |
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Look for ways to cooperate on projects, decisions, or goals rather than focusing on differences. "Well, it's clear we both want to keep the customer happy. You think it's by price and I think it's by better service. Let's weight both of those." With such a statement, you focus on cooperating to win, not competing to see who's "right" and "wrong." |
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Tip 60: Recognize unanswerable questions. |
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Ever since we sat in fourth grade and Ms. Witherspoon asked us the capital of Louisiana, we've felt compelled to answer questions. And if we are in a place of leadership or authority, we feel the urge even more strongly. But some questions defy answers. Identify which they are and save yourself the frustration. |
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Tip 61: Don't rain on people's parades. |
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Some people go through life focused on telling people what won't work for them, what they should or should not have done, and what will create trouble for them. When people share a dream, they most often want support, not caution. Think twice before becoming the naysayer about people's ideas, plans, and dreams. |
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Tip 62: Frame the positive angle. |
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How can you position what you want to say so that people accept the message in a positive light? A manager at a large computer company had as his mission to put together an online database that would make life easier for all his telephone support people, but he could get no cooperation from them. Here was the situation. |
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As part of a licensing agreement and fee, users received telephone support by calling an 800 number. The problem was that when a call came in on a complex question, the reps would spend hours researching the |
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